A DIVINE AND SUPERNATURAL LIGHT, IMMEDIATELY IMPARTED TO THE SOUL BY THE
SPIRIT OF GOD, SHOWN TO BE BOTH A SCRIPTURAL AND RATIONAL DOCTRINE. deg.
MATT. xvi.--And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon
Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father
which is in heaven.
Christ says these words to Peter upon occasion of his professing his faith
in him as the Son of God. Our Lord was inquiring of his disciples, who men
said he was; not that he needed to be informed, but only to introduce and
give occasion to what follows. They answer, that some said he was John the
Baptist, and some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the Prophets. When
they had thus given an account who others said he was, Christ asks them,
who they said he was. Simon Peter, whom we find always zealous and
forward, was the first to answer: he readily replied to the question,
_Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God_.
Upon this occasion, Christ says as he does _to_ him, and _of_ him in the
text: in which we may observe,
1. That Peter is pronounced blessed on this account. _Blessed art
Thou._--"Thou art a happy man, that thou art not ignorant of this, that I
am Christ, the Son of the living God. Thou art distinguishingly happy.
Others are blinded, and have dark and deluded apprehensions, as you have
now given an account, some thinking that I am Elias, and some that I am
Jeremias, and some one thing, and some another; but none of them thinking
right, all of them misled. Happy art thou, that art so distinguished as
to know the truth in this matter."
2. The evidence of this his happiness declared; viz., that God, and he
only, had _revealed it_ to him. This is an evidence of his being
_blessed_.
First, As it shows how peculiarly favored he was of God above others; q.
d., "How highly favored art thou, that others that are wise and great men,
the Scribes, Pharisees and Rulers, and the nation in general, are left in
darkness, to follow their own misguided apprehensions; and that thou
shouldst be singled out, as it were, by name, that my Heavenly Father
should thus set his love on thee, Simon Barjona. This argues thee blessed,
that thou shouldst thus be the object of God's distinguishing love."
Secondly, It evidences his blessedness also, as it intimates that this
knowledge is above any that flesh and blood can reveal. "This is such
knowledge as my Father which is in heaven only can give: it is too high
and excellent to be communicated by such means as other knowledge is. Thou
art blessed, that thou knowest that which God alone can teach thee."
The original of this knowledge is here declared, both negatively and
positively. Positively, as God is here declared the author of it.
Negatively, as it is declared, that flesh and blood had not revealed it.
God is the author of all knowledge and understanding whatsoever. He is the
author of the knowledge that is obtained by human learning: he is the
author of all moral prudence, and of the knowledge and skill that men have
in their secular business. Thus it is said of all in Israel that were
wise-hearted and skilful in embroidering, that God had filled them with
the spirit of wisdom, Exod. xxviii. 3.
God is the author of such knowledge; but yet not so but that flesh and
blood reveals it. Mortal men are capable of imparting the knowledge of
human arts and sciences, and skill in temporal affairs. God is the author
of such knowledge by those means: flesh and blood is made use of by God
as the mediate or second cause of it; he conveys it by the power and
influence of natural means. But this spiritual knowledge, spoken of in the
text, is what God is the author of, and none else: he reveals it, and
flesh and blood reveals it not. He imparts this knowledge immediately, not
making use of any intermediate natural causes, as he does in other
knowledge.
What had passed in the preceding discourse naturally occasioned Christ to
observe this; because the disciples had been telling how others did not
know him, but were generally mistaken about him, and divided and
confounded in their opinions of him: but Peter had declared his assured
faith, that he was the Son of God. Now it was natural to observe, how it
was not flesh and blood that had revealed it to him, but God: for if this
knowledge were dependent on natural causes or means, how came it to pass
that they, a company of poor fishermen, illiterate men, and persons of low
education, attained to the knowledge of the truth; while the Scribes and
Pharisees, men of vastly higher advantages, and greater knowledge and
sagacity in other matters, remained in ignorance? This could be owing only
to the gracious distinguishing influence and revelation of the Spirit of
God. Hence, what I would make the subject of my present discourse from
these words is this